Tallah: A Grimdark Progression Fantasy

Tallah, Book 1

By: C. M. Antal

Narrated by: Lauren Baldwin

A vengeful—and presumed-dead—pyromancer is hellbent on destroying an evil immortal empress in the first book of this epic fantasy series.

As one of the tyrannical Empress Catharina's top soldiers, Tallah Amni swore to be loyal unto death. But then Catharina's increasingly oppressive rule led to the murder of Tallah's sister. Now, nothing can stop Tallah from scorched-earth revenge against the empress. Faking her own death, she hides in plain sight as a flighty heiress, waited upon by the gifted healer Sil. And as she hones her fire-wielding abilities, she concocts a plan to take her enemies down once and for all . . .

But when Sil inadvertently sells off information that puts Catharina's merciless Storm Guards directly on Tallah's trail, her assumed identity is exposed. Methodical in their approach, the guards turn the city upside down in search of the woman now regarded as a genocidal traitor. And while Tallah destroys the sanctum of her most depraved rival, she rescues Vergil, an amnesiac Other from a different world. Although he is powerless in his current condition, Tallah hopes to understand why he was brought to Edana in the first place.

To escape, they join forces with one of Tallah's old teachers, Ludgwig Angledeer, and make their way toward Grefe—an ancient city of unmatched grandeur and magical potential. But the path there is marked with bloody battles against lethal, unimaginable creatures. With her allies' lives in peril, Tallah must push herself beyond her limits if anyone is to have a chance at survival.

The first volume of the hit progression-fantasy series—with almost 500,000 views on Royal Road—now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!

©2026 Antal Mihai Claudiu (P)2026 Podium Audio

well done!

Very polished. Getting some fantastically pulpy vibes from the tale, so I am very much excited for book 2.

Take a bit to get into but worth it

The Performance is Top Notch. The was a decent first start, took awhile to get into bc of names, places, and culture differences but worth the purchase

Masterclass fantasy

This reads like it came out of a major publishing company. Superb story, characters, dialogue, action, and mystery. A must read for any fantasy enthusiast
And the narration fit the story like a warm glove